Iceland gull 3rd winter still at Viridor 14.00

An adult Yellow Legged Gull again on the spoil mound next to Viridor Site this morning.Not seen the Iceland Gull there for a while,but assume its still visiting the site as it seems to be roosting regulary at Pennington.

The adult Yellow Legged Gull was showing well on the spoil mound next to the Viridor site at lunchtime.I remembered to take my camera but unfortunately before I could get any pics the bird scarer was employed which resulted in all the gulls taking to the air .

The 3rd winter Iceland Gull was again at the Viridor site along with 300 large gulls this morning.

Third winter Iceland Gull showing well again at the Viridor site this afternoon.

Info thanks to Pete Berry

Iceland Gull briefly at 12:20pm, sat on the Viridor sign in front of the rubbish pile.
Enough time for 2 photo's in the rain then everything spooked and dispersed.
Took an hour to locate it.

-- Edited by Keith Williams on Sunday 2nd of December 2018 09:55:02 PM

The third winter Iceland Gull was seen briefly at the Viridor compound at approx 12.00. Among the birds scavenging on the rubbish inside the depot, then suddenly departed with all the gulls in the area. A lot of the Black-headed Gulls settled on the pylon but everything else cleared out. We checked the adjacent roofs but it seemed like a mass exodus south. A few large gulls came prospecting as we got ready to leave but didn't hang around.

The third-winter Iceland Gull was on a light column on Arley Way by the Viridor waste site this morning. A Peregrine flew over calling

Sunday 25th November.

- 3rd Winter Iceland Gull present at Viridor refuse site until 3.40pm when it flew off and lost to view.
What a cracking Gull this is!!!

Also 3 Ravens on the rubbish mound.

Actually 4 Ravens, another bird flew low over the yard and landed on the pylon. - also had a mean looking Argentatus Herring Gull on KC Autos roof (it looked ok to me for one anyway)

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 25th of November 2018 06:13:08 PM

Late post for last week.

Raven calling over Gadbury Fold heading North.

Belated report from Friday 10th August.

No less than NINE Common Whitethroat in a (presumably) extended family grouping at the spoil heap "hill" by the Busway on Miller's Lane. They were feeding and generally flitting around a semi-burnt area of scrub just next to the escarpment of the hill on the Miller's Lane side. Several other sightings of Whitethroat around the area of Miller's Lane may have been repeat sightings of birds from the group but I'd be confident that of the 17 sightings there were at least 11 different individuals.

Also good numbers of Swallow and House Martin over Miller's Lane and a charm of 30+ Goldfinch.

7 Mistle Thrush were feeding on one of the fields, and the 2 Raven now being seen regularly were again alighting on the pylons in the area.

Snipe on the flooded field at the bottom of Bee Fold Lane this evening

Couple of hours this morning.

Old Hall Mill Lane/Bee Fold Lane/ Langley Platt Lane/Millers Lane and Long Causeway.

1 Song Thrush
6 Whitethroat
5 Willow Warbler
4 Blackcap
7 Chiffchaff
Small numbers of Swallow and House Martin around the farm on Millers Lane.
Decent numbers of the more Common Birds, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch.
Yellowhammer heard only.
1 Buzzard over Millers Lane

Female Wheatear on Ladies' Walk this morning, at last! 4 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Lapwing and 2 Raven over. No Skylarks all year for me at all :(

Very pleasant evening walk Bee Fold Lane - Langley Platt - Millers Lane

3 x swallow over Bee Fold Lane

Chiffchaff and blackcap singing throughout

1 x buzzard and 1 x kestrel in quick succession over Millers Lane

Miller's Lane/Ladies' Walk/Bee Fold/Long Causeway/Old Hall Mill Lane today - totals were:

Robin 16
Dunnock 4
Wren 9
Blackcap 1 (Not singing)
Willow Warbler 3 (various locations, all sighted and heard)
Song Thrush 2
Long Tailed Tit 3
Great Tit 5
Yellowhammer 1m
Jay 1
Grey Heron 1
Common Buzzard possibly 5 though hard to be sure different birds
Shelduck 1 - still hanging around at top of Miller's Lane
Lapwing - 1 only
Chaffinch 6
Mistle Thrush 4
Blue Tit 6
Chiffchaff 2
Reed Bunting 1
Swallow - 1 single over football fields, Howe Bridge side.
Teal 23 (Floods and field ponds)
Gadwall 2
Shoveler 6

Two singing chiffchaff along Millers Lane along with two buzzards soaring high over the fields.

-- Edited by Jeff Gorse on Sunday 25th of March 2018 04:21:58 PM

Late post from yesterday: Tawny Owl calling from Long Causeway whilst I was running at 7pm last night

Pintail still giving good views either on the Long Causeway field floods or on Old Hall Mill Lane field pond.
The pond also had a pair of Wigeon today and 4 Gadwall.
At least 10 Coot were grazing in the field by the same pond.

Shelduck still present on the Miller's Lane farm flood (east of Miller's Lane)
but when it saw me, it flew over to the floods on the fields south of Ladies' Walk.

Wigeon and Shelduck two new patch ticks for me.

On the topic of ducks, a surprising Shelduck was on the flooded field next to Miller's Lane this afternoon. Lapwing displaying at the bottom of Miller's Lane, where there was also a pair of Yellowhammer.

Crossing the fields next to Bee Fold Lane football pitches when a female sparrowhawk swooped down on a grey partridge concealed in the grass. The partridge just evaded the initial attack and flew off in the direction of some thick brush with the sparrowhawk remaining in hot pursuit. Five minutes or so later the sparrowhawk flew back over and a subsequent recce of the area they had both flown into revealed no sign of feathers etc so assume the partridge got away - I know sparrowhawks take woodpigeons and collared doves but first time ever seen or heard of one trying for a partridge.

Round of Bee Fold and Miller's Lane early today in lovely cold sunshine.

4 Robin
4 Blue Tit
6 Great Tit
1 Song Thrush
56 Black Headed Gulls (Ladies' Walk)
4 Common Gull
2 Great Black Backed Gull
1Lesser Black Backed Gull
1 Common Buzzard
5 Bullfinch (4m1f) Bee Fold
6 Goldfinch
1 Greenfinch heard
1 Chaffinch (only!!)
1 Wren
87 Redwing flying from trees on edge of Atherton Wood down into the adjoining field to try to feed on the frozen ground! No Fieldfares seen this time even though I scoped the field.

Late one from mid-afternoon Sunday - sparrowhawk swooped across Tesco car park and clobbered a collared dove perched in one of the trees - the dove got away in a puff of feathers

Yesterday and today - two very different days - productive around the Atherton South area.

Yesterday:
Flooded fields around Old Hall Mill Lane and Long Causeway held
Shoveler 13
Teal 18
Canada Geese 49
Mallard 10
Gadwall 8

Bee Fold Lodge - 3 Cormorant one in nice breeding plumage, flew off at my approach

Field almost opposite the Lodge with flood and Juncus held 7 Common Snipe (flushed)

Pink Footed Geese 49 over
Raven 2 over, alighting briefly on "their" pylon

Miller's Lane

Reed Bunting 10 in a small flock
Yellowhammer 1m 1f in ash trees by manure heaps (first sighting this year)


Today:

Redwing 92 in trees, edge Atherton Wood
Fieldfare 7 - over adjacent field
Mistle Thrush 7 incl 3 singing in trees adjacent Atherton and Lilford Woods

Yellowhammer pair still in same ash trees.
Reed Bunting flock still about - 12 seen in same group of trees.